


Unmei

by Kaoru_chibimaster



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 22:02:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15495606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaoru_chibimaster/pseuds/Kaoru_chibimaster
Summary: He was from the city. Sora knew this because he practically exuded upper class—not in a snobby way, though. Not with how his laid-back demeanor had him leaning over a surfboard, legs crossed loosely and a lazy smile on his face. He looked at Sora and jerked his head. ‘Come here’ the gesture said.Sora went to him.





	Unmei

**Author's Note:**

> AU where Destiny Islands is big enough to house several cities and tons of small towns and villages. Sora and Riku are DI natives but Riku is considered a city boy.

 

運命

-o-o-o-o-

It happened around sunset: Sora had plopped himself into the sand and lay on his back, staring at the red swirls of light in the sky. There was a slight breeze blowing his hair into his eyes, and he brushed it out of the way absentmindedly. The feel of gentle waves brushing against his toes, a low tide bringing smooth rolls of water to the sand and coating his ankles with salt. The warmth of the sun blanketing his skin. It was home to him. So much so that he was three blinks away from falling asleep on the beach. Not an odd occasion, not with him, but he’d been doing a good job of getting home before night fell and the chilly moonlit air sent him crawling groggily back to his house. Sleeping on the beach was a good idea until it wasn’t, and he found himself crusty, wet and freezing.

With that thought, and memory, in mind, he’d hefted himself up with a grunt, shaking sand out of his hair and wiping sleep from his eyes. And a curious sight caught his attention almost immediately. Blinking, Sora squinted at the dark figure, perched a few feet away from him in the sand. It was a man, of that Sora was certain. Judging by the strong build, at least. It wasn’t as if Sora could make much else out. He did know, however, that this person was a complete stranger. He definitely wasn’t from the village—Sora would have recognized him by now, and anyone from the village would’ve woken him up anyway and told him to go home. This person, this stranger…he only sat there at the edge of the water, staring out over it. Perhaps lost in thought. He obviously wasn’t planning on using the surfboard clutched in his hands, not at this time of day with such a low tide. He didn’t seem to be doing anything else, and there was no one else around him. He was just…there.

And then he turned around.

Sora jerked a bit, wide eyed as he was caught staring. It hadn’t even really occurred to him that he was, but then he supposed that examining someone as closely as he’d done the stranger did warrant a bit of staring. It hadn’t really prepared him for being caught, though. The stranger didn’t seem to mind. In the dim glow of twilight, it was difficult to discern his features very clearly. Light colored eyes, maybe? A strong jaw, definitely, but Sora couldn’t see the set of his mouth. He couldn’t see the curve of his eyebrows, or the expression in his eyes. He only knew that he was being watched back. It was a little unnerving, if he was being honest with himself.

In the midst of his staredown with the stranger, and his silent debate with himself on whether or not he should break eye contact and go to bed, the man opposite him did the unexpected.

He jerked his head.

‘Come here’ the gesture said. No words spoken, no clear facial emotion to put Sora at ease. He simply expected Sora to go to him with that one jerk of the head.

And Sora was curious.

Raising his eyebrow, which he was sure the stranger could see as Sora was facing the waning sunlight, he got to his knees and shuffled over, feeling the scrape of broken seashells against his skin. The stranger himself was still swathed in shadow, being turned away from the sunset, but his features were a lot clearer upon closer inspection. He was… He was something. Sora wasn’t sure he’d ever seen someone look the way this man did, all silvery hair and angular features, and almond shaped green eyes. Clad in a wetsuit that clung to him like a second skin, fingers still gripped loosely around his board. In fact, his entire demeanor was pretty laid back, from the lazy cross of his legs to the relaxed slump of his posture. His whole look screamed ‘city tourist’.

He definitely wasn’t from the village.

“You probably shouldn’t sleep there,” he finally spoke, his voice deep and soft. Like listening to the waves at night. Sora found himself almost swept up in its lilt, so much so that he nearly forgot to respond.

“O-oh, uh,” a throat clearing and a hand sweeping through the hair on the back of his head, “Yeah, you’re not the first one to tell me that.”

The stranger hummed, amused clearly, and Sora thought he could make out a grin on the other man’s face.

“You from this village?” the stranger asked. Both of Sora’s eyebrows raised at the question. Was this man expecting to find anyone here who wasn’t already here to begin with?

“I think I should be more surprised to find that you aren’t,” he said. Eyeing the other man up and down again, it made his point clear that he knew that for a fact.

“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t normally stay in the smaller villages. My Baa-san lived out in Kogata, but the last time I visited her was about fifteen years ago. Haven’t really left the city since.”

Sheesh. Unmei village is definitely considered the boonies, but compared to Kogata? It might as well have been Hikari city. Still, though Sora might understand why no one would visit Kogata for any old reason, he didn’t understand why this stranger was here.

“Are you travelling to Kogata?” It was a shot in the dark when Kogata was clear on the other side of Destiny Islands, but Sora went for it because he was just nosy enough to wonder.

“Nah. Just needed to get away.”

And that was all the stranger offered.

Okaaay…

“And you decided to come to Unmei?” Sora asked, pushing a little further. Surprisingly, this didn’t seem to bother the stranger, who Sora would’ve thought might’ve been guarded enough to leave it there and tell him to mind his own business. He didn’t even seem the slightest bit put off. It was still a little difficult to tell, what with how he was still facing away from the sun, but his posture didn’t change. He didn’t seem to be frowning. He hadn’t even let out a huff or a sigh of annoyance. If anything, the way he leaned toward Sora suggested he was _eager_ to continue.

That was…different, but Sora didn’t mind. He had asked, after all.

“I decided to come anywhere. I saw the exit for Unmei and just…drove. Luck of the draw, I guess,” the stranger shrugged.

It wasn’t so strange to believe that he’d have a reason to want to get away from whatever was going on in his life. And Unmei wasn’t exactly closed off from the rest of the island. So…he supposed it wasn’t so odd to see the stranger there.

If he ignored the fact that the man was sitting by himself on the beach with a surfboard during low tide.

“What drew you here?” Sora asked. He wondered to himself briefly if he was prying, but once again his new and unexpected companion didn’t seem to mind. He only shrugged again.

“Don’t really get to visit the beach often in Naka. And it’s not the best one around even when I do.”

Oh. Sora didn’t know much about Naka city other than the fact that it was a seaport. He couldn’t imagine what city beaches were like, though. He’d heard from his friend Kairi that they were grey and polluted, the sand littered with junk and the water a poisoned looking green. Just the thought of it made his skin crawl, and he couldn’t see in his mind anything other than the crystal clear waves and white, clean sand of his home beach. He couldn’t fault this stranger, then, for wanting to leave that behind.

“Well, feel free to use this one.” Sora glanced at the surfboard still clutched in relaxed fingers. “When the waves are a little higher, that is.”

This drew a chuckle out of the city man, pulling the corners of Sora’s mouth up into a smile as well.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” No explanation as to why he was there when the waves were so calm, but then Sora figured he’d pried enough. He hadn’t even introduced himself and already he’d wheedled out of the other man what city he lived in.

“Name’s Sora, by the way.”

Sora stuck his hand out for the stranger to shake, and it was caught in a firm, warm grip.

“Riku.”

Ah. Finally a name for the stranger.

“Riku…” Sora repeated back, testing out the feel of the name on his tongue. He decided he liked the way it rolled off. A natural Destiny Island name. So this guy, Riku, was definitely a native, city born or otherwise. Though the fact that he called his grandma “Baa-san” had tipped Sora off to that. Still.

“Mhm,” Riku hummed lightly, as if he realized what Sora was doing but responded automatically. His hand was still clasped with Sora’s, still holding on tightly, and it took him a moment to realize before he finally pulled it away, clearing his own throat.

“Well, it was nice to meet you So—”

“Where are you staying?” Sora cut in. His words sounded like a dismissal, and Sora wasn’t quite so eager to leave this intriguing stranger behind yet.

Riku only blinked at him, almost uncomprehending, before realization lit his eyes.

“…I hadn’t really thought about it.”

Unmei wasn’t a tourist spot, so there was no inn. Most who visited were there for family, and thus stayed with said family. No one passed through, considering they had to go off the beaten path to even reach Unmei. And while the village boasted a beautiful beach and a rich history, there were plenty of bigger, richer villages who had the same and more. If Riku didn’t have any family in Unmei, which Sora suspected he didn’t seeing as he only mentioned his grandmother in Kogata, then he’d be lucky not to end up doing exactly what he told Sora not to do.

Sora quickly decided he did not want this new visitor to spend his visit in Unmei sleeping on the beach.

“I guess I could just sleep in my ca—”

Sora cut him off again. “I can talk to the chief. He’ll find you a place to stay.”

The village chief, in all his boisterous friendliness, wouldn’t turn away a stranger without a place to stay. While he might find Riku’s sudden and unexplained departure from the city odd, Sora doubted he’d let that bother him so much that he’d leave a man in need out on the streets.

“You…really don’t have to do that.”

“You’d rather stay here and freeze?” Nights on Destiny Island could be bone-chilling cold in such a way that it crept up on the unsuspecting and soaked into their skin. Sure, Riku’d thaw out by morning, but Sora wasn’t willing to let him freeze in the first place. And he certainly wasn’t going to let him pull a muscle in his neck trying to sleep in his car.

“C’mon,” Sora continued without waiting for an answer. He hopped to his feet, stretching languidly before holding out a hand to Riku to pull him up. Once again, a warm palm met his, and Sora found shivers not caused by the night chilliness running over his skin. “We’ll go together.”

There was a stunned pause heavy in the air between them before Riku nodded, a grateful curl at his lips.

“Yeah.”

-o-o-o-o-

Sora was as unprepared as he was the first time they met, when they ran into one another again. Well, Sora supposed it couldn’t be considered running into one another when Riku was simply walking into his father’s boat shop. Still. An odd place to be for a surfer, unless Riku had more talents to him than first assumed.

Regardless, Sora was a bit blindsided when the shine of silver hit his periphery, and he turned to face his unexpected guest. In the bright morning light filtering in through the windows of the shack, the mystery that had shrouded Riku’s face was brushed away. There was that same strong jaw that Sora had picked out of the darkness, those same almond shaped eyes—though, he noted with mild surprise, they were a bright sea green—and that same strong build. He still wore his wetsuit, though it’d clearly been cleaned due to the lack of a sand coating. What the wetsuit didn’t cover instead revealed tan, toned muscles. The sort of light hair, bronze skin sort of combination one saw movie stars flaunting, except with Riku it wasn’t fake and glamourized. He looked as naturally attractive as natural could be.

Just the thought of it sent a flush of heat over Sora’s cheeks.

He hadn’t even realized he’d been checking the other man out, in all honesty.

Riku had.

“You usually eye your customers up before greeting them?” he smirked. Sora bristled slightly at the suggestion.

“You usually wear your swim clothes to the store?” he shot back. Far from the best sarcastic response, but Sora wasn’t one to not lay on the sass when necessary regardless. Riku, of course, only laughed.

“Figured I’d catch the waves while they’re actually moving this time.”

Sora nodded in understanding at that. Made sense; after all, he wouldn’t have dragged his surfboard with him if he wasn’t actually planning on using it.

Still didn’t explain why he was in a boat store, though.

“Any reason you stepped in here?”

Riku pointed at the window at the front of the shop, old and wooden, white paint peeling off. Glass stained with ocean spray and cracked in a corner. Right in front of the counter so that whoever was working could see who was coming in when they bothered to pay attention.

Of course, it functioned both ways.

“Saw you in here. Thought I’d drop by.”

That was… Huh. Sora wasn’t exactly used to having visitors. Customers, sure. After all, he and his dad built and repaired boats as well as sold them. There was always the occasional bright-eyed kid looking for their first boat, to row out to the play island by themselves. Or the fisherman hoping to have a hole in his hull repaired. Or even an out-of-town buyer looking to buy something more quality than what one found in a generic city shop. If cities even sold boats. Sora couldn’t imagine why the inner-island ones would need boats in the mountains. No one wanted to row on those harsh river waters unless they were crazy. Either way, when someone set foot into his dad’s shop, they were doing so to spend money. Even family didn’t bother to visit, not when he could see all of them by simply walking down the street.

“Oh…” he trailed off.

“Is that…weird?” Riku asked, eyebrow raised. Clearly not the reaction he was expecting. Sora backtracked quickly.

“No, no, it’s fine! It’s just that I don’t normally get visits.” Especially not from attractive city boys.

“Oh. Well, now you do,” Riku stated simply, with an air of finality. Odd, considering he didn’t exactly live there, so it wasn’t as if his visits would be common occurrence. Unless…

“Are you moving here?” Sora asked. The question clearly took Riku aback.

“No, I—Well, I—Hrm…” Riku sputtered for a moment, looking very unsure of himself. That was an interesting reaction.

“I’m sensing a story here…?” Sora inflected his statement as a question, leaving Riku room to back out if the topic of conversation made him uncomfortable. Once again, he came across as surprisingly uninsulted by Sora’s nosing in on his business. If anything, he looked more miffed with himself.

“It’s just…” Again, he trailed off. Sora found himself leaning against the rough surface of the wooden counter, pushing aside the mouse to the store’s ancient computer. It was a bulky mess of cords and plastic, running on an operating system that had been around since before Sora was born, and he often found himself dismissive of it and all of its components as a result. Besides, he figured Riku’s story would be far more intriguing than anything the dinosaur machine had to offer.

“It was getting too cramped in Naka,” Riku finally said. Sora waited for a moment for some sort of elaboration, snorting lightly when he got none.

“A big city like Naka? Cramped?” He couldn’t imagine how such a big place could feel closed in.

“The bigger the city, the more people crammed inside of it. So yeah. Cramped.”

“Aaand…? You came to a tiny village hoping for more space?”

Again, that knowing smirk popped up. Sora wasn’t sure if he liked it or hated it yet.

“Maybe to someone who grew up here, it feels tiny. But to me?” Riku shook his head. “Everyone’s practically stacked on top of each other back home. I’ve never lived somewhere with so much space between the houses, surrounded by nothing but trees, sand and ocean.”

“I thought Naka was at the sea?”

“Yeah, but it’s nothing like here. Wide open, and clean and beautiful. Plus, your ocean water doesn’t smell like dead fish and sewage.”

Sora grimaced at that. How could anyone live like that? Maybe it wasn’t so weird that Riku would find his way to Unmei.

“How does it even get like that?” They lived on the same island, after all.

“Heavy traffic and too many people. They stop caring…”

“Hm. Is that also why you left?”

For the first time since they’d started talking, Riku looked decidedly uncomfortable.

“I…had my own problems to sort through.” And he left it at that. Too personal, Sora realized.

“Got it.” He’d leave it alone. “I sure hope you didn’t just come here on a whim though. I know the chief is letting you stay with Elder Kaiyo, but you still gotta take care of yourself.”

Elder Kaiyo, the chief’s mother and the village wisdom, was not a coddling woman. Sure, she was sweet enough to invite a stranger in need into her house, but she wasn’t going to baby him. The only person she’d ever babied was her granddaughter, and even Kairi stopped getting special treatment from the moment she’d turned eighteen.

“I know. It was and it wasn’t,” Riku said. He wiggled his hand in a so-so gesture with a thoughtful look on his face.

“I’d been flip-flopping on leaving for months. I’d pack and unpack my clothes, call up my job to tell them I was quitting only to back out before I could say it, go on long drives without actually leaving city limits. It wasn’t really _if_ I would leave, it was _when_. Then about two days ago, I just…made the jump.”

Riku didn’t continue beyond that last point, his gaze a bit wistful as it traveled the length of the shop. It wasn’t much: a few decorative boats nailed to the walls, a display of oars on the far one. Everything, from the ceiling to the floorboards was wood, and the walls were painted white, chipping and flaking with age. The scent of oak and seawater permeated the air so well that Sora had long since stopped noticing it. But he imagined it was a culture shock to someone who grew up with steel and plaster.

“Big jump then, huh?” Sora responded quietly. There was a weight behind Riku’s words, as if it was something he’d been waiting far too long to do. Sora was glad Riku’d chosen Unmei to make the jump to, his curiosity of the decision beside.

“Big jump,” Riku agreed. “So, to answer your earlier question, I didn’t come here intending to move here. But who knows? We’ll see…”

“You’d be welcome if you did. We haven’t run out of work to do yet, and no one’s really opposed to ‘outsiders’.” Sora put air quotes around the word outsiders to emphasize that he didn’t mean it in a bad way. Thankfully, Riku picked up on that.

“I’ve noticed. Everyone here smiles and greets me. It’s…different.”

“Different from the city?” Sora grinned. Riku rewarded him with a grin of his own.

“Different from anywhere. No one in Kogata smiles and waves.”

“That’s because Kogata is a koi pond.” It was as small as one, at least. Sora briefly wondered if Riku might’ve found that insulting, but that worry dissipated quickly when his visitor instead started laughing.

He had a nice laugh.

“Good point. Definitely couldn’t crash in Kogata like this, Baa-san or no.” The way he’d said it suggested a definite “no”, but he didn’t seem particularly upset. He must not have known her very well.

“Feel free to crash here as long as you like. Though you might want to let Elder Kaiyo know how long.”

She’d probably find some way to put him to work if he stayed long enough. For now, she seemed to not mind just having company in her otherwise empty house. It was big enough to house a guest, having been big enough to house all four of her children, and it afforded them both a sense of privacy. Riku definitely wouldn’t have gotten that if Sora had offered for him to stay at his own house. Small as it was, they’d practically be glued together every time they moved. Besides, Sora wasn’t entirely sure how to invite someone to his house without it coming across as awkward and strange. He’d never had to before, not with the way everyone tended to drop by uninvited.

“I will once I have it figured out myself,” Riku said, shrugging sheepishly.

“And, in the meantime…” Sora gestured to the board that seemed to be almost an extension of Riku. He obviously took care of it, the surface gleaming bright blue and yellow without a blemish in sight. It looked like a funboard, which Sora supposed fit the surfer as he somehow pulled off an incomprehensible mixture of relaxed and intense all in one. Definitely something meant for a quick getaway and plans of enjoying himself.

“Yeah,” Riku agreed, glancing at the board before returning his attention to Sora. “In the meantime, I’ll be making use of your beach.”

“It’s not _my_ beach. Go for it.”

The quip earned Sora an amused eyeroll.

“You know what I mean.”

He turned to leave the shop then, his short visit finally over. He didn’t leave immediately though.

“Should I usually expect to find you here?” he asked, though he faced away from Sora as he asked.

“Sure, it’s my dad’s shop after all.” Though Sora was usually the one working it while his dad managed it from home. “Even if you don’t, I’m not hard to find.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

And with that, Sora’s visitor pushed open the door to the shop, filling the entrance with a brief burst of sunlight before it faded again in the wake of his absence. He was left with the creak of the ceiling boards and the floating dust motes as company. Sighing, Sora straightened up from his relaxed position and looked around himself for something to do, strangely giddy. Must’ve been the excitement of meeting someone new.

He supposed the floor could probably stand to be swept.

-o-o-o-o-

The third time’s the charm, they always say.

“I get the feeling we’re gonna keep running into each other,” Sora grinned, kicking his feet out as he sat perched atop the bent over paopu tree.

“Well, to be fair, the first two times were my fault,” Riku shrugged. He was leaning against the trunk of that same tree on Sora’s left, arms crossed leisurely. Honestly, Sora wasn’t sure what to make of this third time. He supposed the first two times could be attributed to Riku simply catching sight of him, at least he assumed so, but out on the smaller play island, Sora couldn’t possibly have been spotted by accident.

“I see the face you’re making—” How, Sora didn’t know, considering that Riku’s eyes were closed. “—and I mean it. I’m not gonna say I didn’t see you and go to you before. This time? Pure coincidence.”

“That so?” There was a tinge of skepticism in Sora’s voice, but only jokingly so. He didn’t particularly mind that he kept ‘running into’ Riku. Far from it, actually.

Riku caught on pretty quick, nudging Sora’s knee playfully.

“That is so. I heard a couple kids talking about this place, so I rented a boat out here.”

Of course. The one day Sora was off, Riku would actually enter the boat shop for its intended purpose. Though, he supposed the way it turned out made this a non-issue. Now he got to sit with his new surfer friend in a quieter, more secluded spot.

“I used to play here a lot when I was a kid,” Sora offered up. Small talk, really, but he didn’t mind taking the opportunity to share a little about himself. Especially after he’d learned a little bit about Riku the previous two days.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. Everyone did, really. But this spot in particular was mine and Kairi’s,” Sora smiled, patting the bark of the tree. All the other kids pranced around the old paopu tree, giggling at the strange way in which it leaned to the side, and only climbing up it to snag one of the star shaped fruit growing between its leaves. No one liked to hang around for too long. Too many folktales and superstitions surrounding it. Sora wasn’t one to be easily scared off, and Kairi brushed off stories as simply that: stories. Thus the tree had become their spot, overlooking the ocean with a clear, unblemished view. Surprisingly, the spot next to Sora didn’t feel so empty. Not with Riku standing on his other side.

“Who’s Kairi?” he asked, dragging Sora out of his thoughts. It hadn’t really even occurred to him that Riku wouldn’t know Kairi, what with him having interacted with both her father and grandmother.

“She’s Chief Enyo’s daughter. You probably saw pictures of her in his or the Elder’s houses.”

“Ah, the chief’s daughter, huh?” Riku chuckled at that, and it took a moment for Sora to pick up on what he was laughing at. Suddenly an image crossed his mind of grass skirts and tribal dances of the like one saw on television. TigerLily dancing with Peter Pan around a bonfire. So that was what he found funny.

Sheesh, they weren’t that old timey.

“ _Ha ha_. I know we keep up some traditions, but he’s really like a mayor. And there’s nothing different about Kairi just because she’s his daughter.” Not to say that there was nothing special about her. She was his best friend. But being the chief’s daughter didn’t stop her from hanging around on the beach sewing thalassa shells, or giggling with Selphie over whatever new pop song they heard on the radio, or crashing on Sora’s couch when she was frustrated with her own family drama. Certainly nothing along the lines of whatever Riku was thinking.

“Is she your girlfriend?”

Blinking in surprise, Sora turned an utterly confused look on Riku. He wasn’t sure where in the world he got that idea… Oh. But he was watching Sora pretty intently. Maybe he caught the fondness in Sora’s eyes when he was thinking of his best friend. That’s all she was to him though. It’d be like dating his sister. Besides…

“Nope. Not my type,” he answered, waving his hand dismissively.

“That so?” Riku parroted back in the same tone Sora had used. He rolled his eyes at that.

“Really. She’s great and all, but she’d have to be a ‘he’ to catch my attention _that way_.”

“Oh.”

Fleetingly, Sora wondered if the cities were less tolerable of his sexuality than his village was, and it fueled a slightly irrational fear that Riku was decidedly “off the market”—he’d just met the guy, after all—but if anything, Riku only looked thoughtful at the admission. No judgement, no discomfort. There was an emotion Sora couldn’t quite place that glimmered in those sea green eyes, but it wasn’t…bad.

“You’re okay with that?” he decided to chance, wanting to see more of that look in his eye. Wanting to figure it out.

“Yeah.” Ah. There it was. “I am.”

Interest.

Huh. Suddenly Sora wondered if that thought that had crossed his mind, the one about whether or not Riku was on the market, had more of a firm hold in reality. It was strange to think about. He’d never been good at picking up on how others felt about him, not in that way. And he hadn’t met anyone who’d caught his eye until now. The idea that he might’ve caught that person’s eye as well was…

Strange. He couldn’t think of another way to describe it.

It was a good strange though.

“That’s…thanks,” Sora smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. He was sure there was a slight flush over his cheeks again, the second time he’s blushed around Riku. And once again, it didn’t escape notice. Not judging by the knowing smirk, the satisfied hum, or the conspicuous way in which he leaned _closer_ to Sora.

Sora had a feeling being around Riku was bound to get overwhelming fast. He needed to buckle himself in before he got swept away.

-o-o-o-o-

“You know…”

“What?”

Riku turned his head towards Sora, though his eyes were covered by a pair of expensive looking sunglasses. Sora figured he should probably pull those off of Riku’s face before he ended up with unpleasant looking tan lines. They were sunbathing after all.

“You kinda come across as a movie star.”

He really did. Laid out on the beach of the play island, a spot they’d come to regularly meet up at over the past couple weeks, Riku was all sculpted perfection. Like he was modeling for a magazine cover, arms behind his head, stretched out over a beach towel, muscles tight and prominent. He gave the impression that he was there to please the eager and hungry viewer of whatever television network he was contracted under.

“Wait…you’re not actually a movie star, are you?” Sora continued, squinting suspiciously at his ridiculously good-looking companion. Said companion snorted rather unattractively.

“Hell no. I’d lose my mind if I had to be caked in make-up and stuck in front of a camera to indulge the masses for a living. Besides, I already told you what I do.”

Sora huffed at that.

“You told me you ‘do stuff here and there’. That doesn’t tell me anything.”

This, irritatingly enough, earned only a nonchalant shrug from Riku.

“It tells you enough.”

“No it doesn’t! Okay, look, here…” Sora rolled onto his side, propping his head up with a hand. “I work at my dad’s boat shop. Easy, simple, specific. Now you. ‘What do you do for a living, Riku’?”

Riku didn’t seem to mind the slight mocking tone in which Sora’s question was coated with. If anything, it only seemed to amuse him.

“Stuff here and there.”

“Argh!” Flopping back onto the sand, sans beach towel because he never really needed one, Sora rolled over fully and groaned into his arms.

“It’s really not a big deal, Sora. I don’t keep the same job for very long.”

“Don’t know what you want to do with your life?” Sora asked, peeking up at Riku through his arms. The atmosphere had gotten just the slightest bit heavier, and Riku shifted into a sitting position, looking out over the ocean.

“Not really. But at this age, who does?”

“…I want to take over Dad’s boat shop?” Sora offered tentatively. Some would call that a simple dream, wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps. But he could think back so easily to being that excitable little kid, watching his father make boats, taking rides on them out on the water to fish, rowing them to this very island by himself for the first time. He knew what he wanted to do, and all he needed was to ask his dad to teach him. Age wasn’t really a factor then.

“Yeah, but not many are like that. Getting to follow in their parents’ footsteps,” Riku pressed. “I sure didn’t.”

“What did you like to do?” Maybe that’d help narrow it down.

“I like to surf,” Riku said, laughing humorlessly. “But apparently that doesn’t make for a good career.”

He said at if he was repeating what someone told him. And he seemed to believe it.

“You could earn money through competitions,” Sora offered.

“I could. But I like leaving my hobbies as hobbies.”

That…didn’t sound like what he really wanted, but Sora would leave it at that. He knew if he pushed, Riku would close himself off and he didn’t want that to happen.

“Did you go to school for anything?” he tried instead.

“Yeah. Basic degree in Biology, like _my_ dad wanted. Don’t know what to do with it though. I graduated, spent my summer floating around different jobs and then…I came here.”

“Hmm. What’s it like?”

“What, being twenty-two with a useless degree and no job? You should go into the city more. You could ask literally anyone, and they’d trap you for days with their life story.”

Well that was upsetting. Maybe Sora should be thankful he did grow up in the boonies.

That wasn’t what he meant though.

“No, I mean college. What’s it like?”

Riku eyebrows shot up, his sunglasses sliding down his nose and his chin-length hair nearly swatting him in the face with how fast his head swiveled.

“You never went?”

Was…that so weird? Most people in Unmei didn’t bother. They’d have to travel pretty far to actually get to a college and most of them were fine with learning trades from their parents. The few who did go to college usually left and never came back.

“No, I…I never really needed to,” Sora answered cautiously, as if he was stepping on toes by reminding Riku that not every twenty-something year old paid for extra schooling to earn that so-called ‘useless degree’. It really didn’t register with Sora why city kids were so big on that sort of thing. He saw it on television all the time: go to school, put yourself in debt, try to enter society living on saltine crackers and tap water. He always figured it was an exaggeration, but from the way Riku was talking…

Oddly enough, the look on Riku’s face was just as quizzical as what Sora was sure was on his own.

“That’s…different. From what I grew up with, at least. Hmm…” He crossed his legs, taking up a pose that was reminiscent of how Sora had first found him, though without the surfboard. That had been lying on the ground catching its own sun. The waves were a little too flat for Riku to use it yet.

“Well, it’s like high school but there’s a lot more freedom. No uniforms, or teachers breathing down your neck when you’re on your phone, or weird rules about hats and accessories. You can set your own schedule and decide for yourself what classes you like.”

“Did you like any of your classes?”

“A few. Nothing I was passionate about, but they weren’t bad at least. Mostly, I just liked being able to get out of my parents’ place.”

“You bought a house?” That, Sora understood. But then, his parents had been eager to see him living on his own. He saved up until he hit twenty and his family found him one around the edge of the village limits. It was pretty far from the house he grew up in, but he didn’t mind that so much. It was his own space, small and creaky as it was.

“Sora, no one buys a house at this age.”

Or maybe he didn’t quite understand…?

“What’re you talking about? Plenty of people buy a house when they move out.” Some of the more wealthy villagers built their kids new houses, but for the most part, when an old couple grew too old to stay on their own and moved back with their family or, god forbid, die, the younger generation was doing their part by buying and maintaining these homes.

“Maybe in this village. It was a struggle just to find my own apartment, and even then I had to room with someone.”

“Room with someone?”

Riku stared at Sora as if he was the one who was confused.

“Yeah, a roommate. Couldn’t afford a place by myself, so I had to split with this other guy named Tidus. Pretty normal stuff. I can’t wrap my head around you buying a house, though. You’re only a year _younger_ than me.”

Sora couldn’t wrap his head around someone leaving their parents’ house only to turn around and share with some stranger. At least, he assumed this guy named Tidus wasn’t a friend of Riku’s if he was being referred to that way.

“That’s weird.”

The heavy atmosphere finally dissipated when Riku laughed at that.

“You’re weird.”

“ _You’re_ weird. Can’t imagine having to share something as tiny as an apartment.”

“Yeah, it’s not fun. But it’s the best we can do in Naka. It’s not quite like here.”

And Unmei was definitely not like Naka.

“So that’s all there really is to college? School and roommates?”

Riku shook his head. “Not all. But it’s all that really comes to mind when I try to describe it. I didn’t exactly spend it partying every weekend and traveling the world during break.”

“People do that?!” Sora asked, awed. He’d never even been outside of Unmei. Imagine traveling the world.

“Most don’t, but it happens. Especially the partying part,” Riku chuckled.

“Hmm. What about your jobs, since you’re not, y’know, a movie star?”

That didn’t get past Riku at all, and it earned Sora a slightly exasperated look.

“That again?”

“I don’t give up easy.”

“It’s not like I did anything all that interesting. Just entry level stuff, working at stores and the like,” Riku said, running his hand through his hair as the memories grabbed his attention. Sora tried to imagine someone as unique looking as Riku doing something mundane like what Sora did when he was stuck with counter duty. It…didn’t stick well.

“What’d you look like?”

“You say that as if I should’ve looked any different than I do now.”

“Maybe you did,” Sora shrugged. “My growth spurt hit pretty late, so I looked like a ten-year-old all the way through fourteen.”

That pulled another laugh out of Riku, and Sora felt proud enough of that that he didn’t get embarrassed.

“Nah, I didn’t really look any different. My hair was longer, but that was it.”

“Really?” Sora tried to imagine Riku with long hair, and somehow the mental image fit pretty well. If anything, it made him look even better. “I guess I can see it.”

It was still odd to imagine him doing anything mundane, though.

“Got any pictures?”

There was that annoyingly attractive smirk again.

“I’d text you some, but…”

“ _Okay_ , I get it! Quit making fun of me,” Sora groaned. The one cell phone he’d ever owned in life, a little flip phone that his dad had bought him for his birthday one year, had been mysteriously ‘lost at sea’…after Sora had inevitably broken it. By accident, of course. But he really wasn’t good with technology and everyone knew the ‘lost at sea’ thing was just a not-so-clever cover up. It was really sitting in his bedside drawer with its cracked, water logged screen.

Thus, there was nothing for Riku to text. He’d sent Riku into a laughing fit when he told him.

“I’ll show you when we get back.”

Riku would pull out his high tech, touchscreen phone—the fancy rectangle, Sora liked to call it. It was essentially a pocket computer, and while this wasn’t a foreign concept to Sora (it wasn’t as if his village was closed off from the rest of civilization), it wasn’t something he’d ever physically put his hands on until Riku came along. It’d light up with an interface filled with all these little icons. Riku would click on one, and there’d suddenly be a picture pulled up on the screen. An image frozen in time, not on photo paper but on a phone screen.

Sora wondered if his old phone could’ve taken pictures, but he’d broken it long before he could find that out.

“Oh, look…” Riku said before Sora could mention this. Curious, he turned in the direction Riku was pointing. A figure by the pier was tying up a boat, right next to the one Sora and Riku had used. Perking up, Sora sat up quickly and waved both of his hands at the familiar face, shouting.

“Hey! Kairi!”

Kairi turned at the sound of Sora’s voice, smiling and waving both of her arms as well.

“Hey, Sora! Riku!”

Riku waved back at her, also smiling in greeting. He’d gotten to meet her a day after they ran into each other on the play island. She’d wiggled her way into his slowly growing Unmei friendship bubble with her bubbly personality and witty responses. The spunky redhead, he liked to call her. Sora was only glad that they so easily got along.

Even if it meant Kairi was now constantly teasing him over his growing attraction to Riku.

“I’m surprised you’re not out on the water,” Kairi told Riku, having jogged over to the both of them to join their little sunbathing party.

Pulling his sunglasses off, finally, Riku looked over at the now rolling waves. He grinned excitedly, nearly shooting out of his spot, leaving the towel frumpled and littered with sand, and grabbed his board.

“Now that you mention it…” he trailed off, leaving it at that as he padded over to the water, wading out into he was ready to get on the board and then paddling it until he was far enough out to meet the waves. With the deck already waxed, he only needed to push himself into a standing position, catching the water just before the swell broke and riding the wave out. The movement was as smooth and comfortable looking as Sora expected. Riku wasn’t lying about knowing what he was doing.

“Where’d he learn to surf so well, I wonder?” Kairi asked, shaking out the towel before sitting down on it herself. She didn’t really need it, wearing shorts and a halter instead of one of her dresses, but she must not have wanted it to go waste.

“He said he learned in Kogata,” Sora answered, remembering it from one of their conversations speckled throughout the past two weeks.

“Really? What’s in Kogata?”

“Nothing but water. Apparently it was the perfect place to learn. He kept it up even after he stopped visiting.”

“In Naka?”

“I guess so. He said he hadn’t been outside the city since he was seven.”

Kairi whistled lowly at that.

“Wow. I’d have thought it’d be too distracting to surf in a port city.”

Sora remembered how Riku described Naka with its tourist beaches and competitions. He imagined it as crowded and a little overbearing, but maybe that was the best environment for Riku to improve in. If he’d first learned in such a quiet place as Kogata, he would’ve already known what to do.

“Guess he didn’t mind.”

Kairi turned to him and grinned, and Sora figured his no-teasing time was up.

“I’m surprised you’re not out there with him.”

“I don’t surf well.”

“Yes you do, don’t even try that with me.”

“I don’t want to get in his way.”

“Sora, you’re the first person who would try to make a competition out of it.”

Frowning, Sora glanced over at his friend, hoping to get her to knock it off with just a look. She was, of course, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at him.

“Is it ‘cause you’d rather sit here and stare at his butt?”

“ _Kairi!_ ”

He shoved her shoulder, sending her sprawling into the sand but this clearly didn’t bother her judging by her loud laughter. In Sora’s defense, he was not in fact staring at Riku’s butt.

At first.

Now that she mentioned it, he couldn’t quite help noticing the way Riku’s wetsuit clung to his form, accentuating every curve and angle. Every motion he made caused a ripple across his muscles, tightening in his calves when he shifted his feet and in his back when he bent over. And okay, maybe Sora’s eyes trailed a little lower than Riku’s back, but who’s wouldn’t?

That was his excuse and he was sticking to it.

“I know what you’re thinking about,” Kairi cooed at him from her new spot laid out over the sand. Her head was cradled in one arm, the other flat down her side as she pulled off the confident and smug look all too well. Sora contemplated snatching the towel from under her and tossing it at her.

“Give me a break, Kairi,” he huffed, rolling his eyes instead. She only started laughing again.

“I don’t see what’s the big deal. He obviously likes you too. Stop beating around the bush.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know how…” To ask someone out. He never had before. He thought he’d hinted at it plenty of times to Riku, and he was sure Riku had picked up on it more than a few times. But they’d been dancing around each other the past couple of weeks and Sora wasn’t sure he knew all the steps.

“You don’t know how to tell him? It shouldn’t be too hard. You guys have been hanging out every day. At this point, you just need to lay one on him.”

“Right, Kairi, because kissing him out of nowhere is the smart way to do things.”

“Sora you skateboarded into a coconut tree once. You don’t do the smart way.”

Sora turned to Kairi, looking as disgruntled as he felt, he was sure.

“One: I was eight. Two: this is way different!” he all but shouted at her. She looked far too amused with herself.

“What’s different?” Riku’s voice came shouting back. Face burning bright, Sora returned his attention to the ocean to see Riku dragging himself and his board back to shore, still in the shallow parts of the water. He was far enough away to have missed Sora and Kairi’s normal conversation, but close enough to have heard Sora’s raised voice loud and clear. And he was raising an eyebrow at Sora specifically, waiting for an answer.

“Nothing!”

Kairi was no help, bursting into laughter once again. Some friend.

-o-o-o-o-

It was around the end of Riku’s third week in Unmei that Sora found him at the edge of the village, sitting in his car with the door open. It was an older one, bulky metal formed into a sleek shape and painted bright blue. A cover was extended over the top, likely to fill the empty space left by the otherwise disconnected convertible windshield. Not the sort of thing Sora imagined most people his and Riku’s age owned, but it’d become clear to him over numerous conversations and hints from Riku that his parents were pretty well off. No wonder he could just up and leave his job and not have to worry. He’d even tried paying Elder Kaiyo for his stay until she’d rapped him over the head and told him to stop being foolish. It was clear that money came from somewhere. Still, there was more than met the eye there. Sora didn’t bother to question why Riku seemed discontent with having so much when it was clear money wasn’t the sort of happiness he was chasing.

Maybe that was why he was sitting in his car?

“You alright, Riku?”

He didn’t answer at first, just sitting there with a leg crossed under him and his arms resting on his thighs. His hands were clasped together, the keys clutched within them. If Sora didn’t know better, it looked as if Riku was ready to leave. But none of his bags were in the back, likely still in his room at the Elder’s house.

“Yeah,” he finally said. “Just thinking.”

Without waiting for an invitation, Sora walked over to the other side and got in. He sat fully in his seat, closing the door behind him. It felt as nice as it looked. The seats were leather, which made them warm to the touch in the late evening Destiny Islands air. Despite that, it was comfortable. The surfaces of the inside of the car all shone with care, clean and pristine. It even had a pleasant scent to it: something that reminded Sora of Riku when they sat close to one another.

Riku himself seemed to be tired of sitting halfway out of the car, turning so that he was centered properly with his door closed as well. He leaned his head back against the leather, the hair that usually flared out from the back pressed down with the movement. The sigh that escaped him almost seemed to lift a weight from his shoulders, what with how they no longer slumped. He even set his keys down, and Sora took that as a cue to listen.

“Wondering if I should just…go back.”

Not quite what Sora wanted to hear, but he resolved to push his own disappointment at the words down and focus on Riku.

“Is that what you want?”

“No. Maybe? I don’t know. I feel like I’m just a burden here, but I don’t want to go back and keep living the life my father expects of me.”

“Maybe he thinks that’s what’s best for you.” Sora shifted in his seat to face Riku more. “Maybe he just thinks he’s helping you.”

Sora’s family was a simple one. His parents both had siblings, more than he himself and his one-decade younger sister, and it left him with plenty of cousins. All of them were willing to help family out where they felt it was needed, even if that help wasn’t requested. But no one expected their children to do anything. If Sora had turned down his dad’s offer to follow in his footsteps, he would’ve been encouraged to do what he wanted to do instead. He’d never experienced the overbearing parent, but he doubted parents like that did so because they didn’t want what was best for their kids.

“Maybe he does. But what he wants isn’t what I want,” Riku shrugged, only half-agreeing.

“And…what you want is back in Naka?”

“No.” Slumping into his seat, Riku let out yet another heavy sigh. “I don’t know where it is.”

“But you don’t want to be here?”

Sora earned himself an annoyed grimace, but he knew it was only because he pressing a little harder than usual and Riku wasn’t used to being pushed towards a decision like that.

“I do. But—”

“You’re not a burden, Riku. People like you here. Even Elder Kaiyo likes you, and the only person she’s ever liked was Kairi.” Not that the Elder didn’t _love_ her family. She just generally didn’t _like_ them. Or the rest of the village hooligans she had to watch over.

“If you don’t believe me,” Sora continued. “The whole reason I came to find you is ‘cause my parents want you over for dinner.”

The grimace slid from Riku’s mouth slowly, replaced by a neutral expression that poorly masked the hope in his eyes.

“They do?”

“Yeah, the whole family’s gonna be there. You’ll get to meet everyone this way too,” Sora nodded, smiling in encouragement. He hoped Riku would take more time to find what he was looking for…and he hoped Riku would stay in the meantime. He couldn’t stop him from leaving, but… He really didn’t want to see him go.

“I might as well. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” Riku replied, smiling when Sora lit up. Maybe it was just temporary assurance, but it was all Sora needed to hear. Hopping out of the car, he practically sprinted around the front to pull Riku out of his seat. Laughing, Riku complied easily. He stuck his keys in his back pocket, checking to make sure his doors were locked before following Sora back into the village.

It wasn’t the smallest village along the edges of the island, more like a little town than anything. There were a few major streets crisscrossing the land, but there were plenty of dirt and concrete pathways to walk as well. Preferring those on his sandaled feet than the harder feel of asphalt, Sora led Riku along the smaller pathways, ducking under bent palm trees as their legs were brushed by tall grass. The houses they passed were all very similar: small and made of wood. Painted in light colors and unassuming. A few of the nicer ones were brick, but those were situated farther in the center of the village where the chief and his family lived. Riku was probably used to that area now. Where Sora was taking him, however, was a lot more spacious and relaxed. It was the sort of homely atmosphere he grew up in, and he wanted Riku to experience what it was like. The invitation from his parents was the perfect excuse.

“So, this isn’t something I have to dress up for, is it?” Riku asked, ducking under a particularly low palm leaf. “I didn’t exactly pack my nicest clothes.”

Sora snorted in amusement at that.

“Unless you usually wear a tie to a cookout, no.”

“A cookout, huh?”

“Don’t tell me they don’t have cookouts in Naka…” Sora questioned, a crease in his brow at the thought.

“No, they do. I just hadn’t been to one in a while, that’s all.” A long while, Sora guessed, judging by the wistful look that crossed Riku’s face.

“Well, now you get to experience an Unmei cookout.”

Riku grinned at that. “And what should I expect at an Unmei cookout?”

“Nothing too special. Beer and grilled seafood. The fun is in everybody getting together,” Sora smiled. Riku returned the expression, looking almost giddy. A complete turnaround from the cloud that had hovered over him only a few minutes earlier.

“I look forward to it then.”

And true to his word, Sora brought Riku to a loud, lively house littered with people all speaking excitedly to one another. The scent of charcoal and grilling fish met Sora’s nose, as well as Riku’s considering the way he closed his eyes contently and inhaled. They pushed through the fence, and then through the crowd, weaving around relatives that all called out Sora’s name in greeting. A few even called out to Riku, recognizing him from seeing him around the village. Sora waved to all of them before pulling Riku into the house itself. There were more people hanging around inside, but thankfully the crowd was thinner than it was outside. Heading towards the kitchen, Sora spotted his mother first.

“Hey! Kaachan!”

She turned, as short and thin and clad in her colorful, tropical dress as ever, and smiled at her son and his guest. Riku looked between Sora and his mother briefly, picking up on the resemblance. Though she was about twenty or so years older, she had the same cerulean eyes and messy light brown hair. Hers was pulled into a short ponytail, but otherwise stuck out everywhere, made even worse by how she constantly ran her hands through it when she fussed. Now, thankfully, she wasn’t fussing. Setting down the heavy plate she’d been carrying, she crossed the room quickly to hold out a hand to Riku.

“I’m glad you made it,” she said in lieu of a greeting. Her hand was clasped tightly around Riku’s, shaking it enthusiastically. “I was hoping to meet the young man who hangs around Haru’s shop so often.”

Slightly red faced at the statement, Riku could only smile sheepishly.

“Sorry about that, Mrs….?” he trailed off, waiting for her to actually introduce herself.

“Oh, just call me Aoi, please.”

“Geez, you can’t even say hi to me?” Sora laughed, knowing it was only his mother’s excitement that drew her attention away.

“Hello, Sora,” she sighed in mock exasperation, though her grin was plain as day.

“Need any help with anything?” he asked, looking around the kitchen for more heavy plates and such that might send his wispy mother to the floor. As if she knew what he was thinking, she shot him a slightly insulted look.

“I’ve got it. _You_ can introduce Riku to the rest of the family.” And with that, she hefted the plate she’d been carrying back up into her arms and carted it off, throwing an “enjoy yourselves” over her shoulder.

Both young men watched her leave, one in time-tempered acceptance and the other in awe, likely at what had been on the plate.

“Is that an entire pig?” Riku asked, his eyes almost comically wide.

Bingo. Sora did his best to hide his snicker.

“Yeah.” He wouldn’t mention that a few of his family members had probably gone out into the wilderness surrounding the village to catch it. “Wait, you don’t have a problem eating pork, do you?”

“No, it’s just… I’ve never eaten it _before_ it was cut up.”

“Don’t worry,” Sora said, patting Riku’s arm in consolation. “They’ll cut off a piece and hand it to you.”

Riku shot Sora an unimpressed look that was easily ignored. So maybe he was poking a little fun at him. That was all it was.

“C’mon. There’re still people to meet.”

Sora dragged Riku through the crowd, introducing family members left and right. His Uncle Hinata with the gimpy leg and the weird limp, his Uncle Tetsuo with his large collection of katana hanging on a wall in his house, his Aunt Chiyo who looked as harassed as ever surrounded by all six of her children, the youngest propped up on her breast, sucking on a pacifier. Even his Aunt Renna was there, hiding in a corner and hoping no one asked her about how life was in the capital city, Hikari. She visited often enough that likely it hadn’t changed since the last time she came back to Unmei. There’d been a number of cousins to introduce on top of that, plenty of them around Sora and Riku’s age who greeted them both as if it was a reunion between old friends. Both had a beer passed into their hands, and they sipped at them as they hung around in a circle filled with young adults all sharing stories of how their past week went. Food was passed around—and Riku did indeed get his slice of ‘entire pig’—and enjoyed off of skewers or with hands, and with the occasional plastic fork used for the fish. It was as familiar and comfortable as home could get.

And it seemed to take Riku’s mind completely off leaving.

He was obviously enjoying himself. He made himself known to others, talking to a number of Sora’s cousins and telling those who asked about Naka city. He even took the effort to talk to Sora’s little sister, despite her being an eleven year old, ruffling her hair playfully and indulging her when she asked to touch his. And every once in a while, he’d look back at Sora and smile softly, and it sent waves of warm happiness settling in his gut.

“So?” he asked once Riku had found his way back at his side, the others having gotten their fill of him. “What’dya say? Unmei cookouts are pretty great, huh?”

“Yeah,” Riku nodded resolutely. “They are.”

‘Unmei is pretty great’ his expression seemed to convey. Sora was inclined to agree.

-o-o-o-o-

Midway through the fourth week, immediately after work, Sora invited Riku out for a swim.

It somehow turned into a surfing competition.

“You’re way too excited about this, you know,” Sora laughed, though he didn’t really mind. He himself was positively giddy, and between the excitement of getting back out on the water and Riku’s childlike wide grin, the feeling was only rising.

“Of course I’m excited! How come I never see you on the water, huh?” The question was almost accusatory, Riku’s smile dropping into faux hurt at the thought that Sora didn’t surf every week like he did. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but well…

He couldn’t deny Kairi was right when she mentioned that he liked to watch.

Not that he’d tell Riku that.

“Oh, no reason,” he said coyly, both hands rested behind his head. Riku saw right through it.

“Right. I’ve been to your house, and I know you have a board. ‘No reason’ is no excuse!”

Sora almost regretted letting Riku into his house to hang out that one time, but the wonder in which Riku had regarded it beat that feeling out pretty quickly. It wasn’t much, just a small one story with a one room entrance that constituted the living room, dining room and kitchen, and a narrow hallway leading back to the bathroom in the middle and his bedroom at the end. There wasn’t much furniture, some of it hand-me-down and some of it bought secondhand, but none of it was in any way extravagant or new. Riku had stepped inside and made the place seem like a castle. He’d oo’ed and aa’ed at every little knickknack, running his hands over the old couch and the wooden walls, appreciating the house Sora earned and paid for. He’d come across a few of Sora’s old trinkets, including his old skateboard and his old surfboard, and the look he sent Sora told him he’d be in for it for not bringing the board up later, but for the most part he marveled over Sora’s living space.

Sora had wondered how it would look if he invited Riku back there again and again and again.

Face slightly heating up at the implication of that idea, he waved the thought away and refocused on the topic at hand.

The board.

It sat innocently next to Riku’s, longer than the funboard and colored bright red.

“It’s been a while,” he shrugged.

“I asked Kairi and she said you’d spent the entire first half of summer on the waves.”

“Aaand it’s the last half of summer.”

Riku grabbed Sora around the middle and hefted him up, carrying him awkwardly to the water’s edge.

“No excuses.”

Sora wasn’t sure if his brain had exploded at the physical contact or not. Riku had forgone the wetsuit this time, mentioning something about being on equal footing with Sora who only ever wore swim trunks. The warmth of his skin practically burned against Sora’s back and waist, and definitely not in a bad way. Maybe it was a good thing they were in the midst of a playful argument over Sora’s willingness to surf with Riku, because that would easily explain why he slid out of Riku’s grip like a handful of wet noodles.

“Oh come on, quit being difficult.”

Tell that to the tent Sora’s trunks were forming.

“I’m not being difficult,” he mumbled, trying desperately to keep his back turned to Riku, hoping that by the time he entered the cold water, his little ‘problem’ would go away.

“Right. That’s why you’re slinking past your board and going straight for the water.”

Freezing in his spot, Sora looked to his left to the pair of surfboards he almost passed entirely. Good thing Riku mentioned it, or he’d have to turn around. He was sure it already looked goofy enough when he sidled over to it, still facing away from his companion, and put it under his arm. Then he continued onward to the water with what he was sure was probably the most awkward gait. Riku clearly thought so, trying and failing to keep his laughter quiet.

Finally waist high in the water, Sora turned to Riku’s shaking form and pointed a challenging finger at him.

“Alright! You’re on!”

“Exactly what I wanted to hear.” And with that, Riku grabbed his own board and waded into the water, standing in front of Sora with a taunting look on his face.

“Stakes?” he asked.

“First one to catch the biggest wave wins?” Sora offered.

“Nah, then we’d be at it all day trying to one up each other with a bigger wave. How about…” Riku rubbed his chin, thinking for a second.

“First one to get through a tube wins?”

That worked, Sora supposed. Those kinds of waves weren’t too common in the area where Unmei resided, something about the direction of the wind and currents, but they weren’t impossible to come across either. It’d make it an interesting challenge.

“Challenge accepted,” Sora grinned, and Riku rolled his eyes and shoved at Sora’s shoulder for the jokey phrase. Sora backpedaled a bit, trying not to fall backwards into the water without having taken a breath, and it gave Riku the head start he needed. Shouting indignantly, Sora hefted himself onto the board and paddled to catch up.

Against his skin, the stickiness of the wax was noticeable but not irritating. It’d help once he started standing. For now, it was logged into the back of his mind as he took long strokes out into the more active part of the ocean. The water was bright and clear blue, rolling in waves towards the shore with the wind. It was colder than Sora liked, but the anticipation of being back out on the water drove out the chill. Turning in a wide arc, Sora stayed far enough away from Riku that they wouldn’t accidentally wipe each other out, but still close enough to shout over to him.

“You think we’ll get a big one like that today?”

The water was rolling in waves, but they were relatively small ones. A few broke, but the tubes they created were so negligible that they barely counted.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky,” Riku shouted back. Sora hoped so. Just the thought of catching a wave like that brought his anticipation up to eleven.

It took a while to get their wish.

Sora had been pretty wrapped up in the sensation of riding the waves that he’d barely even noticed. Thinking it was another small one, he rode the roll of water until it peaked at a point where he could catch it. Quickly, he hefted himself up on his board and shifted it down to the bottom as the wave broke right. The feel of it, the wind tossing his wet hair around, the breeze chilling his skin, the spray of water against him, the sensation of gliding across the water… Sora found himself in the zone, focusing only on his footwork and the exhilaration of surfing such a large, enclosing wave. It was as if traveling towards the light at the end of the tunnel, weaving back and forth along the water until he finally broke out of the tube. He managed to avoid getting swept up by it, even with his attention waned the way it was, and instead slipped into the water of his own accord, whooping gleefully.

“I think you won that one,” Riku gasped delightedly, paddling towards Sora. He was soaked, coming from the same direction Sora just had. He must’ve followed behind, catching the tail end of the wave hitting the surface of the rest of the water. He seemed to be okay, though. If anything, he didn’t even seem beat up about losing the competition.

“Yeah… Not often we get waves like that,” Sora chattered, knowing Riku already knew this but unsure of what else to say in his unexpected victory.

“You rode it like a natural, though. All this time you been holding back on me?” Riku grinned. Sora mirrored the expression.

“Maybe a little,” he joked.

“I’d try for a rematch, but you might float off into space, happy as you looked.”

True to Riku’s words, Sora hadn’t quite shaken off the euphoria. And he definitely wouldn’t mind feeling it again. A rematch would be perfect.

“Giving up already?” he taunted. Riku rolled his eyes, splashing water at Sora.

“That’s supposed to be my line.”

-o-o-o-o-

A month and a week in, and it was only a matter of time before the friendship Sora had forged with Riku finally delved into something deeper.

They’d been sitting in Riku’s car again, this time just listening to the radio. There’d been no more thoughts of Riku leaving or anything equally depressing. In fact, both of them had been feeling pretty tranquil. They’d set the seats back and relaxed with their cans of soda and the sounds of classic rock filtering quietly through the air. The night had decided to be warm for once, even with the breeze and ocean spray blowing over the village. Sora had been comfortable and content, and when he looked over at Riku he saw that the other man clearly felt the same.

And then it just kinda happened.

Riku had turned his head to say something, and Sora had leaned forward and…well…

It wasn’t so strange to say the warm and comfortable feeling increased tenfold when their lips met. It was as if all of the good that had built up over the course of their interaction had culminated into this one moment, washing over him in a slow trickle of released tension. ‘Finally’ his mind told him. Finally he’d done it. He’d taken the plunge and he’d kissed Riku. And Riku kissed back.

Very enthusiastically.

Sora hadn’t ever kissed anyone before that moment, so it was shy and tentative on his end. Riku, on the other hand, seemed to know what he was doing. He’d pulled Sora closer, almost crushing their bodies together if not for the center console between them. His lips moved against Sora’s, wet and sweet and sticky with cola. His tongue lapped against Sora’s lips, pressing between them when Sora opened his mouth. It tangled with his own, sending continuous tingles over Sora’s skin and filling the still night air with wet smacks. He tried to follow what Riku was doing, but between the feeling of Riku’s hands on him, their mouths pressed together, their tongues brushing, he couldn't quite keep up. Instead he was swept away by the sensation. He was sure he probably stopped breathing at some point, because Riku had pulled back and the pleasant fuzz that clouded Sora’s mind cleared a little.

“Breathe,” Riku had mumbled, allowing Sora to suck in a few lung fills of air before he practically sucked it back out when he kissed Sora again. Their surroundings were forgotten then, Riku finally growing impatient enough to pull Sora from his seat and into Riku’s lap. They’d practically molded together, still wrapped up in one another. Riku’s hands had found a grip on Sora’s hips, digging into the skin and holding him there. It hadn’t gotten as hot and heavy as Sora had expected it to, being pulled into another man’s lap. There was no grinding or grabbing. Riku seemed to just want him as close as possible.

And Sora wanted the same. So he didn’t move away. He wrapped his arms around Riku’s neck and pressed himself closer as they kissed. He wasn’t even sure when it ended. He hadn’t wanted it to.

They couldn’t sit in Riku’s car and make out forever though.

“We should probably get back,” Sora breathed, not really wanting to leave but knowing that if they pushed their luck, they’d get caught. Riku clearly disagreed, his arms, which had wrapped around Sora’s waist, squeezed tighter.

“You started it, you know,” he sighed, pressing more kisses to Sora’s lips, and then along his jaw and throat when Sora turned his head away.

“I know, but maybe we can continue it somewhere other than your car?”

Riku sighed against his neck audibly. “Guess you’re right.”

Finally released from Riku’s grip, they both stepped out of the car after it was turned off, the key shoved into Riku’s back pocket once the doors were all locked, and they walked hand in hand across the village to Sora’s place. Riku’d sleep there to avoid waking the Elder with noise from the front door, and well… They weren’t going to lie to themselves. They wanted to spend that time together.

Sora sighed at that. Somehow Kairi was right again.

-o-o-o-o-

Riku seemed to spend more time at Sora’s house than in his room at Elder Kaiyo’s. So much so that no one was even really sure if he still lived with her anymore. Technically he did, but all of his stuff had migrated into Sora’s tiny house and he often found himself crashing there.

So when they ran inside, dripping wet from the sudden rainstorm that had hit, neither of them expected Riku to leave for the rest of the night. Perhaps even beyond if the storm lasted long enough. It probably wouldn’t, but some caught the island by surprise. As long as it wasn’t a hurricane, no one was particularly worried about it.

Though it left the walls creaky as the wind whipped around the trees outside, it didn’t come across as anything other than a normal storm. It had interrupted their playful afternoon, however. Running around on the beach, kicking sand at each other before they inevitably ended up wrestling in it had occupied their time enough, even underneath gray, fat clouds. When the first drops of rain fell, it didn’t deter them too much. A little bit of water wasn’t something to be afraid of.

But the flash of lightning across the sky and the accompanying rumble of thunder had brought with it a torrent of heavy showers, and the two knew that once they could no longer hear each other over the rain, it was time to go inside.

It didn’t put too much of a damper on their afternoon. Sora had grabbed a couple towels for them dry off with, and Riku sat by the window, watching the storm as the television droned in the background. Sora flicked through channels until he settled on an old cartoon, keeping the volume low. When he held out the towel to Riku, his arm was grabbed instead, pulling him closer. Huffing in amusement, Sora draped the towel over Riku’s head and rubbed his hand over it, enjoying the way Riku leaned into him. His other arm was released, Riku’s wrapping around him and pulling him closer.

“We should probably put on something dry you know,” Sora said, though he made no attempt to move. His hand had stopped rubbing over Riku’s head, instead simply resting atop it.

“You remember…” Riku started. “…when I said I wanted to leave?”

Blinking in confusion, Sora nodded slowly. “Yeah…?”

“I’m just…a little twisted around, is all. I don’t want to leave. Ever. But my whole life’s in Naka. Seems strange leaving it behind.”

“That’s…up to you, Riku. Do what you want.”

“I want to stay here.” Riku turned then to look Sora in the eyes. “With you.”

“I want that too.”

“Mm. I’m glad then.” He turned his attention back to the window, and they watched the rain for a while until the cold started to seep in a little too deep.

“Do you want to shower first, or me?”

“You go ahead.” Riku finally grabbed the towel, rubbing his hair dry before slinging it over his shoulders.

A fleeting thought crossed Sora’s mind, as if letting Riku out of his sight would suddenly make him disappear. It came and it went, though. He trusted Riku to mean what he said. And the fact that he wanted to stay sent an elated feeling pulsing through Sora’s veins.

He sped through his shower, finishing it up to the smell of reheated soup. Elder Kaiyo had sent Riku over with a pot of it the day before. It was as if she’d known how handy it would come in that day. Sora wouldn’t be surprised if she had.

Riku caught sight of him standing in the hallway, dressed in dry clothes with his usually spiky hair matted down. Grinning at the image, he nodded his head toward that very pot of soup on the stove.

“Watch this while I go next?”

It didn’t even have to be a question. He’d be happy to let it continue warming up while he waited. He wasn’t going to start eating without Riku.

“’Course.”

Sora crossed the short distance, smiling when Riku leaned over to place a tiny smooch on the top of his head. He listened as the sound of Riku’s shower mixed in with the steady rain, the lightning thankfully passed. Underneath the calming sound, the bubbling of soup and the whimsical music of the cartoon provided a peaceful blanket of noise. One that Sora was sure would put him to sleep sooner or later. He made sure to stay standing to prevent the sooner option. It wouldn’t do to burn his house down over soup.

He only turned off the burner when the sound of the shower stopped. Riku’s footsteps thumped through the house, wandering into the room for his own clothes which had inevitably ended up mixed in with Sora’s, before finding their way back into the main room. Bowls were filled, chairs scraped across hardwood floor, and the two found themselves seated at the small, round ash table, enjoying dinner.

It was such a comfortably domestic image, it had Sora wondering where it’d been most of his time spent in that house. Why hadn’t they been doing this earlier?

Right, because they’d only started dating a couple weeks prior.

Where before it would’ve left Sora a bundle of poorly concealed nerves as he wondered how to handle such a situation with his crush, now it was a perfect fit. It was as natural as breathing air, sitting across from Riku, watching a cartoon with his chin in his hand, swiping a chunk of meat out of Riku’s bowl and then playfully engaging in a battle of the spoons. They simultaneously gave up when it became clear their food was getting cold, and their spoons favored scraping the bottoms of their bowls over clashing.

“That was cheap, you know,” Riku said as he stood, grabbing both bowls to wash. In Unmei, unless one was rich, the only dishwasher they owned were their own two hands. Riku didn’t seem to mind as he scrubbed them though.

“You left yourself completely open,” Sora chuckled. He couldn’t see Riku’s face, but he could practically _hear_ his eyes rolling.

“Whatever, Sora. Better watch your plate next time.”

It brought a dopey grin to Sora’s face at the prospect of there being a next time. He didn’t say anything, though, only returning his attention to the television. The kitchen filled with clacking sounds unhindered by the lack of walls as Riku set the bowls and spoons to the side to dry. He hadn’t returned to the table just yet, seeming content to stand by the appliances grouped along the wall. It was a strange sight to Riku, Sora was sure. It’d been strange to him too when he’d first bought the house. Back at his parents’ house, everything had been separated by a room. This house was one of the older ones, however. First built when people had settled on this side of Destiny Islands. They’d offered to build him a wall and Sora, in all his eagerness and excitement at moving out, had declined, thinking it’d just take up more precious space. After a few months of living with it, he’d simply gotten used to the oddity of all his appliances lining the wall. It wasn’t like there were many: a refrigerator, an oven and a separate freezer to hold foods he couldn’t simply stuff in his pantry. With the ground so soft in that area of the village, a cellar was out. He simply had to make do with what he had.

Though something told him the oddities of Sora’s house weren’t what had captured Riku’s attention. Sora turned to peek at him curiously, finding him leaning against the island that served as the sole separation between kitchen and living room, staring at the glossy surface.

“Everything alright?” he asked. Maybe Riku was just thinking about what he’d brought up earlier, about not wanting to leave.

“Yeah, I just…I’m just lost in thought is all. Ignore me, I’ll get over it.”

Sighing loudly, Sora stood from his spot, moving to stand on the other side of the island in front of Riku.

“I’m not gonna ignore you, Mr. Moody. I’m here if you need me.”

Riku cracked a small smile at the nickname. He’d earned it a couple weeks after he’d arrived in Unmei as a result of his frequently changing demeanor. Sora didn’t think he gave himself enough credit, but then from the way he spoke about his parents, that clearly wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t change how they treated him, but he could sooth Riku when need be. Sometimes all he needed was a shoulder to lean on.

“Thanks, Sora.”

“No need to thank me. Just…talk to me when you feel yourself getting too down.”

“I know,” Riku nodded. “I will.”

“Good.”

They shared a smile at that, immediately broken by Sora’s yawn. This time it was Riku’s turn to sigh.

“Go to bed, you goober.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Sora said, voice heavy with tiredness. He padded down the hall, knowing Riku would cut off the tv when he was ready to follow. Sitting on his bed, he ran his hands over the sheets and contemplated actually going to sleep or waiting up for Riku. He knew he’d be told off for not just going straight to sleep, but he wanted to fall asleep with Riku at his side. Shrugging his shirt off, he opted for simply getting in bed and just staying awake. Easier said than done, but Sora was determined. And he could be stubborn when determined.

Before he could even follow through on his plan, however, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. Smiling, he leaned back as Riku pressed his face into Sora’s neck.

“You left yourself completely open,” he murmured against his skin.

“Doesn’t count if I meant to.” Not that Sora had been planning on this, but he’d long since let his guard down around Riku.

“Does so,” Riku argued, and Sora couldn’t help but laugh at that. The responding smile against his neck was worth it.

Quietly, Riku ran his knuckles over Sora’s sides, his lips pressing softly into the skin beneath them. Sora leaned back into the touch automatically. He turned his head to the side to press their mouths together, falling into the familiar routine he’d formed with Riku when things got a little more intimate. It hadn’t gone past light touches and long kisses, and neither of them minded it. They’d pushed the boundary further and further each time without actually crossing it.

Something about that night changed that.

Maybe it was the lack of fabric between Riku’s hands and Sora’s skin that encouraged him to explore further. Maybe it was the encouraging noises Sora was making that had Riku pushing his shorts off, sliding back to rid himself of his own clothes. Maybe it was the way Riku looked Sora up and down with pure unfiltered _want_ that had him laying back on the bed invitingly. Maybe it was the promise of Riku’s body pressed against his that had him opening his legs. And maybe that was what encouraged Riku to reach over into Sora’s bedside drawer, sliding open the one in which his things had been slowly accumulating, and pulling out a tube of—

“I-is that…a…?”

A white and blue tube bottle with a familiar brand, the same basic one that was found on most general store goods, hung lightly between his fingers. It wasn’t something Sora saw often, but he was far from ignorant of what it was. His face started burning again, and what blood hadn’t rushed to his head had instead rushed down south.

 “Yeah, I…uh, I thought it might come in handy,” Riku answered awkwardly, a flustered look crossing his face when he realized how forward he’d just been. It lightened Sora’s mood a little, pulling a silly smile out of him.

“Someone was prepared,” Sora hummed in amusement, though he couldn’t deny he was watching the tube with no small amount of intrigue. He thought he might be nervous when confronted with this, but laying beneath Riku, encased in his warmth, he only felt safe and happy. Ready.

“I found it at the general store. Figured I’d pick it up if we needed it later,” Riku shrugged, wiggling the tube lightly.

“So…you expected me to put out, huh?” Sora teased, grinning and nudging Riku’s foot with his own to let him know he wasn’t serious. Riku chuckled at his words.

“Obviously. How could I not after you wore those tight-ass shorts.”

Okay. So maybe Sora _had_ done that on purpose. And maybe he _had_ hoped Riku would look. Still.

“You leave my tight-ass shorts out of this, you horndog,” Sora responded, sticking his tongue out. Riku snorted out a laugh at that, and they both devolved into a bundle of giggles.

“We’re never gonna get anywhere if we’re cackling at each other,” Sora said, still chuckling of course. Riku shrugged, smiling freely and openly.

“That’s what it’s about though, right? Having fun.”

Was it? Sora always thought of it as something serious. A big step in a relationship. He wasn’t under the delusion of candles and flower petals, but it hadn’t occurred to him that it could just be…fun.

“Are you nervous?” Riku asked.

Sora thought about it for a moment, of how relaxed he felt, of how loved he felt, and he knew the answer almost immediately. He shook his head ‘no’, and he meant it. He could do this. It would be fun. That didn’t take away from how significant it was to him, but it did make it far less intimidating.

“I’ll be careful,” Riku mumbled, his face closer now. His lips moving against Sora’s as he spoke. They joined before either of them even realized. Sora had grown comfortable with Riku’s kisses, not so much that they lost their spark, but enough that he could shift his focus to braving uncharted waters. He slid his hands over Riku’s skin, feeling the muscles along his sides and back tighten. Riku had all but enveloped him entirely, his own arms wrapping around Sora and pulling their bodies close.

Any hesitation on either of their parts quickly disappeared, leaving in its wake the feel of palms sliding over skin and lips following the trails left behind by fingers. Toes were curled at the cool sensation of lubricated digits, hands gripping into the sheets when they weren’t clutching warm flesh. A cacophony of gasps and sighs filled the room, soon mixed in with the sounds of joining bodies.

Sora lost himself in it.

-o-o-o-o-

He sat up in bed the next morning, poking at the hickeys that trailed over his neck and chest, and finally ended speckled around his inner thighs. Each of them would bring him a fond memory for years to come, of that Sora was sure. Even the ache in his back and lower didn’t bother him too bad. It’d fade away and leave only a reminder of the night he and Riku shared. The memory of skin on skin, slick with sweat and tender with touch.

Twice.

He hadn’t even thought he had that sort of stamina. Not that it surprised him that Riku did.

Pushing himself out of the bed, he wandered into the bathroom for a quick shower, mostly to wipe off the bodily fluids he was crusted in—the thought of it made his nose wrinkle, before wandering back out and into the main room, still sans clothing. Riku looked up at him briefly from his bowl of cereal. He’d put pants back on, Sora noted with a slight amount of distaste, and the tv had been turned back on. Still on the same channel. Grabbing one of the bowls from last night, he filled it with the first box he grabbed (apple jacks, because he’d be damned if a boring cereal ever made its way under his roof) and what was left of the milk in the fridge. Still not bothering to wear clothes of any kind, which had clearly caught Riku’s undivided attention by now, Sora plopped himself down in the same seat as before and dug in.

“Morning,” he added last minute, through a mouthful of cereal. Riku rolled his eyes at the behavior.

“If I’d known naked cereal was your morning routine, I’d have dropped by earlier.”

Sora barely caught himself before he started laughing, knowing it’d do him no good to start the day choking on apple jacks. He still cracked a smile.

“Only on special occasions,” he quipped back after swallowing his food. Riku’s gaze trailed down the same pathway of marks Sora’s fingers had traveled not too long before.

“So this counts as a special occasion…” Riku said, not quite asking as there was no inflection. Sora answered anyway.

“’Course it does. But then…” Sora rested his chin on his hand, shrugging nonchalantly. “I think anytime you’re here is pretty special.”

“What if I said I didn’t want it to be?”

Sora blinked at him quizzically, not quite getting what he was going for.

“Then I’d wonder what you think you mean to me…?”

“No, that’s not what I—” Cutting himself off, Riku sighed and placed a hand over his face, mumbling to himself. “I’m really not good at this.”

“Riku…?”

“I mean, I don’t want to just be a special occasion that comes and goes. If that makes sense…?”

It…didn’t? At least, Sora wasn’t entirely sure why Riku would stop being special. He was pretty damn special to Sora. Maybe he thought they hadn’t known each other long enough for that to mean anything. Sora hadn’t exactly done this before, so he didn’t know how properly his relationship with Riku was going in the span of under two months, but he honestly didn’t believe that it would matter that much. Someone shouldn’t have to be measured by time to determine how much they mean to—

“I mean I want to move here!” Riku finally blurted out, and it stopped Sora short.

“You…you wanna…”

“I could see the gears turning in your head,” Riku said, reaching out a finger to poke Sora in the middle of the forehead. “Figured I might as well just say it.”

“But…wasn’t that what you were saying yesterday?” Sora had thought Riku confessing that he wanted to stay in Unmei with him was pretty clear.

“I know, but I thought about it more while you were sleeping. I didn’t want to make that decision on a whim. So…now I know what I’m gonna do.”

Sora’s spoon clinked around in his bowl while he waited.

“What’s that?”

“I am gonna go back to Naka. I need to pack all my stuff. It’s not much but I don’t want to leave it there for Tidus to sift through once he realizes I’m gone for good.”

“And then you’re coming back here?” Sora made sure to clarify.

“Yeah… If you’ll have me.”

That didn’t even have to be a question. Sora was sure he’d be kicking up a fuss if Riku had suggested anything else. As it was, instead he felt his cheeks lift into a bright smile.

“As long as you aren’t going back to Elder Kaiyo’s.”

Riku’s short, sarcastic laugh made his feelings on that subject pretty clear.

“You’d have to pay me to listen to that old woman nag for any longer.”

And that was understandable, because Sora had grown up knowing the old woman and could barely put up with her on good days.

“I guess it’s settled then,” Sora nodded with an air of finality. Riku returned the gesture.

“It is. Do you want to go with me?”

A trip to Naka, huh. Sora couldn’t lie to himself, the thought intrigued him. He’d always wanted to see one of the big cities with his own eyes. But unfortunately, dropping everything and going to the city wasn’t much of an option for him. He was already trying to figure out how to hide the hickeys before he went to work—not that he didn’t like them, but he wasn’t in the mood for the endless teasing he’d endure once others saw them. Up and leaving would not only land him in hot water with his father, it’d likely have the entire village worrying over where he’d disappeared to.

“Nah. Unlike _someone_ , I can’t just drop work.”

Riku smiled sheepishly at the callout, but he knew Sora wasn’t being harsh on him with it. He’d had his reasons, after all.

“Besides,” Sora continued. “I trust you. I know you’ll come back.”

Riku leaned forward then, his arms rested on the table as his eyes bore into Sora’s. When he opened his mouth, Sora knew he would speak true.

“Always.”

-o-o-o-o-

It was sunset that found Sora laid out on the beach, watching the red swirls of light in the sky as the low tide brushed his ankles. Next to him, Riku sat with his legs lightly crossed, hands resting in his lap. He hadn’t bothered to bring his board with him this time, knowing the water was too calm. It was set up next to Sora’s in the shed his family had built them. It’d taken time to remodel Sora’s tiny house, the poor thing needed more space for Riku’s stuff after all and it had amused Sora to no end that Riku had honestly thought it was “not much”, but after a year it’d ended up being just what they needed. The place looked practically brand new without having lost its homely touch.

Hefting himself up, Sora reached over and wrapped his fingers around one of the hands in Riku’s lap, smiling when it turned over and squeezed back.

“We should probably go to bed soon…” They’d have an early morning the next day. Sora still hadn’t been outside of Unmei before and Riku had taken that fact to heart. They’d be taking a small vacation to Hikari so Sora could get the full tourist experience. Apparently the entire trip was worth it for a tour through the volcanic caves alone, and Sora had gotten excited enough about it to forgive the lack of water in the center of the island.

“Imagine that. Sora actually trying to fall asleep in his own bed,” Riku joked, grinning. He laughed when Sora nudged him with a shoulder.

“You’re the one who’s always trying to keep me awake in that bed.” Which was a fact Riku was clearly unashamed of, judging by the proud look in his eyes.

“I don’t hear you complaining.”

Snorting, Sora nudged Riku again before standing up, pulling his boyfriend up with him as their hands stayed linked. They walked like that along the beach and back up to village limits. Sora took the place in with a nostalgic smile, knowing he’d end up a little homesick once they left. Sure it was only for a vacation, but still…

“I’m gonna miss this place.”

Riku squeezed his hand again.

“We won’t be gone long. Besides, it’ll be fun.”

“I know,” Sora nodded. Giddy and excited and sad to leave all at once. He had a feeling when their two weeks in Hikari were up, he’d be feeling the same way. “Still feels weird to be leaving.”

“I get what you mean,” Riku agreed. “There’s nothing quite like home.”


End file.
